Stabilizing mechanism for railway trucks and the like



June 17, 1947. H. E. TUCKER 2,422,633

STABILiZING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. l8, 1944 a Z a W i 11 n 9 w. pg a m 4 3 5 3.;

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Patented June 17, 1947 'STABILIZING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS AND THE LIKE Herbert E. Tucker, Chicago, Ill., assignor to James R. Gardwell, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 18,1944, SerialNn 554,647.

L 'GClaims. (01.105-19'1) Y 1 This inventionrelates to trucks for railway cars and the like.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a new and improved mechanism for supporting a bolster that will permit free initial vibration of the spring assembly, but will frictionally resist further or final compressive movements of the springs and which are so constructed that all the resilient elements of the mechanism are metal springs. I

Another object of the invention is the provision of new and improved auxiliary bolster supporting metal spring members that are diagonally arranged for directly assisting in supporting the bolster, and will at the same time indirectly assist in preventing harmonic action of the main spring assembly.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved truck having novel supporting and stabilizing mechanism that is easily assembled, eflicient in operation, composed of few moving parts, and that is rugged in construction.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a truck frame, with parts in section and parts broken away;

Fig. 2 isa section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the spring plate or spring seat.

In the operation of the conventional spring assemblies for railway trucks, harmorlc action of the assembly is likely to develop unless some means be provided for resisting this'movement. It .is common practice to providea friction unit that can be substituted for one of the spring units in each spring assembly. Harmonic action develops in conventional spring assemblies due to the wheels of the truck running over rail joints at such a rate of speed that the impetus to vibration at each joint harmonizes or coincides with the natural vibration of the spring. In other words, if the natural vibration of the spring is, say, 40 per minute, then if the truck-wheels run over forty of these joints per minute the vibration of the assembly will receive an added impetus to vibration at each joint, and the result will be that very violent harmonic action will most surely ably resist this movement, or for squaring the.

to square the truck frames after the truck has rounded the curve and is again on the straightaway track. v V

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character 8 designates a railway 1 truck having side frames 9 at the sides of the truck, each comprisingan upper or compression member to and a lower or tension member I i spaced therefrom and connected together by spaced columns 13 and I4, with substantially straight edges l5, 16, adjacent each other and-defining a bolster opening I2. There are two side frames, one at each side of the truck, but since they are identical, except that they are rights and lefts, only one need be shown and described. Extendinginto the bolster opening I: is one end of the bolster ll, which is provided with V-shaped recesses l8 and I9 (Fig. 2) at opposite sides thereof converging downwardly and forming the shoulders 2t, 22, atone end of the bolster, and. shoulders 23, 24, on opposite sides at the other end of the bolster. These shoulders are adapted to engage at opposite sides of the columns l3 and M, respectively. forming a loose connection between thebolster end and the side frame for guiding the bolster in its vertical movements. The recesses l8 and I9 have their bottom walls, which are V-shaped in crosssection, converging inwardly-and downwardly toward the bottom of the bolster, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing.-

The bolster opening I2 is enlarged below the columns l3 and M, as at 25, for receiving a spring assembly 26 positioned beneath the end of the bolster H. A spring plank 20, u-shape in cross-section,extendsfrom one side frame to the other and rests on the tension member 1 l;

and-assists inholding the side'frames in trans: verse alinement. Interposed between the spring assembly and the spring plank 20 on the side' frame is a spring seat 21, having upwardly extending flanges, whichpositions the springs onsaid spring plank. An upper spring seat 29,

having downwardly extending flanges 3|, is provided for positioning the upper ends of the spring assembly 26. This springgseat engages the bottom of the-bolster, as shown in Fig. 1. The spring assembly comprises a plurality of helical springs 32 which are of the-usual or any well known construction.

Suitable means are provided for assisting in supporting the bolster, but are so constructed as to permit initial free vibrationofv the-spring assembly, and to frictionally resist further downward movement of the bolster, thereby not only assisting in supporting theloadfrom-theside frame but also tending to stabilize the operation truck after rounding the curve, the side frames development of harmonic 'action,xbut;will tend I of the spring assembly by preventing harmonic action of the springs. As shown, each of the columns l3'and I4 is provided with anintegral pocket-33 extending downwardly and, what-for convenience willv be termed, outwardly front. the

rigid with the plate' I8.

bolster opening, and terminates in a bottom plate or bottom wall 34. Since these pockets and associated parts are identical, only the structure at one side of the bolster need be described. The bottom wall 34 is pro ided with a lower axial opening 35 through which an., auxiliary spring 36 may be inserted. Opposite sides of the side walls of the pocket above the plate 34' are straight and are provided with grooves 31, the lower sides of the grooves constituting support surfaces for slidably receiving and supporting a plate or spring seat 38 which, when in its lowered position, forms a lower abutment for the spring 36. It is provided on its upper side with a curved upwardly extending flange 30 for positioning the spring. The plate is shown in Fig. 1 as being partially withdrawn for the sake of clearness in description. I

The upper end of the spring 36 is seated against a friction shoe 39, and is adapted to force the shoe upwardly and inwardly toward the bolster ll. Each of these friction shoes 39 is provided with an inclined friction face 4|, which is V-shape in cross-section (Fig. 1), and which is adapted to frictionally engage a friction plate 42, also V-shape in cross-section, and carried by the bolster and constituting a part thereof, as will presently appear. The friction shoe 39 has an upper horizontal surface 43, adapted to engage a corresponding surface 44 on the upper wall of the pocket 33 for limiting the upward movement of said shoe. The friction shoe 39 is hollow, and the upper end of the spring 33 extends into the shoe and engages a recessed abutment #5 provided in the upper wall of the shoe for positioning the same. The lower end of the shoe extends rearwardly and has a horizontal surface 46 adapted to engage a ledge, shoulder or corresponding horizontal surface 41 on the lower wall of the pocket 33 when the bolster is forced downwardly, as will presently appear.

The friction plate 42 is V-shaped in horizontal section, as shown in Fig. 2, and has a V-shaped surface adjacent the bolster, engaging the corresponding V-shaped surface on said bolster. The oposite face of the friction plate is also V-shaped and engages a corresponding surface on the friction shoe.

Suitable means are provided for positioning the friction plate 42 in the V-shaped recess of the bolster. As shown, the inclined face of the bolster is provided with an opening 48 which is adapted to receive a tapered pin member 49 The pin 49 is useful principally for holding the friction plate in position by hand while the remainder of the mech- The friction shoe 39 is foreshortened in its vertical dimension, so that the lower surface 46 of the shoe will normally be spaced a short distance from the upper surface 41 of the bottom wall of the pocket. By means of this arrange.

ment' when load is applied to the bolster the latter and the friction shoe 39 will-move downwardly together until the shoe comes in contact with the surface 41, after which, if the bolster is forced downwardly still further, it will carry with it the friction plate 42, which will slidably engage the friction shoe 39 and cause not only a frictional resistance to the further downward movement of the bolster but, since the surfaces engaged are convergent downwardly, this further downward movement of the bolster will cause the shoes to move outwardly, thereby compressing the spring 36, which in turn will resist further downward movement of the bolster, or, in other words, will assist in supporting the load on the bolster. The pocket 33 has an opening 53 in its outer wall for inspection of the spring therein. The opening 53 may be aptly termed an upper opening since it is above the 38 to pass therethrough.

Since there is more or less clearance between the end of the bolster and the, columns l3 and 14, one end of the bolster, with its corresponding side frame, may tend to mave'in advance of the other, and if so it will be evident, from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, that such a movement Will cause more or less compression of the springs 39, which in turn will resist any tendency of the truck to move out of square, and will tend to move the side frames into transverse alinement after either has moved to a position in advance of the other, as when rounding curves.

In the operation of the device the initial vibration of the spring assembly will not cause a relative movement between the friction shoes and the friction plates. They will move with the bolster until the shoes 39 contact the ledge or shoulder 41, after which there will be relative movement between the friction shoes 39 and the friction plates 42, thus frictionally resisting fur. ther downward movement of the bolster. This not only will prevent harmonic vibration of the spring assembly, but will cause the springs 36 to indirectly assist in supporting the bolster. After the shoes 39 engage the surfaces 41 in the I course of downward movement of the bolster i1,

the friction of the shoes with both the bolster and the surfaces 41 is added to the resistance of the auxiliary springs 36 to oppose further lowerin of the bolster.

Any advance of one side frame ahead of the other will, due to the interengaging V-shaped grooved members, tend to compress the springs 36, which will resiliently resist such action and thus the springs 36 tend to hold the side frames in transverse alinement. Furthermore, any

, shock due to sudden jerks or buffs will-not be transferred from the truck directly to the bolster, but will be cushioned by the springs 36. This is also considered an important feature of the invention. 7

It is thought from the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, that the construction and operation of my device will be apparent to those skilled in the art and that changes in size, shape, proportion and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

-1. In a railway truck, a side frame having a bolster opening with two pockets at opposite sides of the opening, respectively, each of said pockets having an interior downwardly facing upper surface of substantial width. and an interior upupper wall of substantial width for contact with j said upper pocket surface and a lower wall of 'substantial width for contact with said lower pocket surface, and an inclined auxiliary spring in each of said pockets extending into the interior of the corresponding friction shoe to act under compression against the friction shoe,- each of said pockets having an inclined support for the lower end of the corresponding spring.

2. In a railway truck, a side frame having a bolster opening with two pockets at opposite sides of the opening, respectively, each of said pockets having an opening from the exterior of the side frame, a bolster extending in said bolster opening with opposite side surfaces in the region of said pockets respectively; said opposite side surfaces being inclined in downward convergence, a spring assembly for supporting said bolster from said frame, a shoe in frictional contact with each of said bolster side surfaces respectively, each of said shoes being limited in vertical movement by the side frame, an inclined auxiliary coiled spring in each of said pockets to exert pressure against the corresponding shoe, said pocket openings being large enough to admit said springs and inclined seats for the lower endsof said auxiliary springs respectively, said seats normally removably extending across said pocket openings.

3. In a railway truck, a side frame having a bolster opening with two pockets at opposite sides of the opening, respectively, each of said pockets having two openings to the exterior of the side frame, a bolster extending into said bolster opening with opposite side surfaces in the region of said pockets respectively, said opposite side surfaces being inclined-in downward convergence, a spring assembly for supporting said bolster from said frame, a shoe in frictional contact with each of said bolster side surfaces respectively, each of said shoes beinglimited to exert pressure against the corresponding shoe,

said spring being small enough to enter the pocket through said first pocket opening, and

a seat for the lower end of each of said auxiliary springs, each of said seats being mounted on said support surfaces of the pocket for retraction through said second opening of the pocket.

5 In a railway truck, a, side frame 'having a bolster opening with two pockets at opposite sides of the opening, respectively, each of said pockets having a lower and an upper opening to the exterior of the side frame, each of said pockets having support surfaces aligned with said upper pocket opening, a bolster extending into said bolster opening with opposite side surfacesin the region of said pockets respectively, said opposite side surfaces being inclined in downward convergence, a spring assembly for supporting in vertical movement by the side frame, an inclined auxiliary spring in each of said pockets to exert pressure against the corresponding shoe, said spring being small enough to enter the pocket through one of said pocket openings, and a removable seat in each of said pockets for the lower ends of the corresponding auxiliary springs, said seat being removable through the other of said two pocket openings across said one of the two pocket openings.

4. In a railway truck, a side frame having a bolster opening with two pockets at opposite sides of the opening, respectively, each of said pockets having a first and a second opening to the exterior of the side frame, each of said pockets having support surfaces aligned with said second opening, a bolster extending into said bolster opening with opposite'side surfaces in the region of said pockets respectively, said opposite side surfaces being inclined'in downward convergence, a spring assembly forsupporting said bolster from said frame; a shoe in frictional 76 said bolster from said frame, a shoe in frictional contact with each of said bolster side surfaces respectively, each of said shoes extending into the corresponding pocket in the side frame, an inclined auxiliary spring in each of said pockots to exert pressure against the corresponding shoe, said spring being small enough to enter the pocket through the lower pocket opening,

and a removable seat in each of said pockets for the lower end of the corresponding auxiliary spring, said seat normally resting on said aligned support surfaces and being retractable through the corresponding upper pocket opening, said support surfaces in the pocket being inclined to provide a gravitational tendency for said seat to stay in the pocket.

6. In a, railway truck, a side frame having a bolster opening with two pockets at opposite sides of the opening, respectively, each of said pockets having two openings to the exterior of the side frame, each of said pockets having an interior upwardly facing lower surface of substantial width, a bolster extending into said bolster opening with opposite side surfaces in the region of said pockets respectively, said opposite side surfaces being inclined in downward convergence,

the pocket openings.

HERBERT E. TUCKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,452,529 Scheibli Apr. 24, 1923 2,118,006 Couch May 17, 1938 2,277,263 Tucker Mar. 24, 1942 2,352,693 Davidson July 4, 1944 

